Key-ring holder



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. F.-A. LASSERRE KEY RING HOLDER Filed March 27, 1925 gwuentoz e/Z L Vase/we atented rat, is, rare lhtltdfitd FRANCIS A. LASSERRE, OF GROSSE TETE, LOUISIANA.

KEY-RING HOLDER.

Application filed March 27, 1923. Serial No. 628,044.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS A. LASSERRE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grosse Tote, in the parish of lberville and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Key-Ring Holders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a safety device and more particularly to a device for supporting key-rings from a mans belt, and has for its main object the provision of a keyring holder which will retain the ring of keys, without danger of losing the same no matter how actively the carrier may move about.

Another object is the provision of a keyring holder which can be locked against removal of the ring except upon proper manipulation of the parts.

It is a further object to provide a holder which will be of light weight, yet strong and shall not be so complicated as to make the operation of the same bothersome to the user. V

The invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the device shown suspended from a belt and supporting a ring of keys.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of Fig. 2, taken on the line 3-3 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a detail view showing a modified structure.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view, in section, illustrating the platform provided by the central portion of the main supporting body.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawing. 7

Letters B and R indicate a belt and a key ring respectively, and as these form no part of the present invention, no further reference will be made to the same.

Numeral 1, indicates the main supporting body and consists of a rigid metallic band, one end of which is bent back upon itself to form a hook 2, the'central portion of said hook being cut away to form the bifurcated portion 3; the ends of said bifurcated portion are turned outwardly to form the offsets 4. and 5. The central portion of the member 1, is bent outwardly and downward- 1y to form the sloping platform 6, the remainder of the body continuing downward at 7 and terminating in the inturned hook 8. Pivoted to the offset 4-, by means of a pin 9, is a latch 10, carrying a lug 11, intended for engagement with an opening 12, in the offset 5, this latch when swung across the bifurcation effectively closing the same for the purpose as described further on.

The retaining member is indicated by the numeral 13, and is formed of metal of the same width and thickness as the member 1; this member is reduced as at 14, which reduced portion is turnel back to form the hook 15, the end of which is turned out at right angles as at 16, and widened at either side forming the ears 17 This hook as shown comes up behind the supporting hook 2, of the member 1, and is turned out between the members of the bifurcated portion, it being of. just the same width as the space between the said members, and is held from slipping back through the opening by the ears 17 and from dropping down by the swinging latch 10.

The central portion of the member 13, is constricted, forming the reduced portion 18, which passes through the opening 19, in the platform 6, continuing downward behind the part 7, of the supporting member and terminating in the outwardly turned hook 20, into which the hook 8, is seated.

Surrounding the reduced portion 8, is a spiral spring 21, which is supported by the sloping platform 6, and in turn supports the member 13, by bearing against the shoulder 22, in the same. It can be seen that this spring plays a very important part, for, should the latch 10, be left unhooked by the user of the ring holder, the spring would support the member 13, preventing the ears 17, on the hook from sliding below the ofisets 1 and 5.

Formed in the lower portion of the body 13, is-an ofiset 23, in which the ring is placed in the operation of removing the same. The use of this will be made clear in the following description.

The platform 6 is formed with a pair of oppositely extending alining slots 6 which communicate with the opening 19, and the slots 6 are provided for the passage of the wider portion of the retaining member 13 when the elements are being assembled.

The manipulation of the holder for the removal of the key-ring is as follows The ears 17 are shifted to pass over the latch 10, which positions the members 1 and 13, relatively to each other in a manner as I indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2, whereby the hook 20 will be spaced from the hook 8 so that the ring R can be removed. The hooks 8 and 20 will be maintained in spaced relation until the ears 17 have been returned to the position shown in full lines in Figure 2. The latch 10 detachably couples the members 1 and 13 together, and the shifting of the latch 10 to uncoupling position is to enable the attaching of the holder to a belt, and in this connection when it is desired to shift the latch 10, the lug 11 is first raised out of the opening 12 in the offset 5 by elevating the free end of the latch 10, after which the latch 10 can be swun on its pivot 9, which releases the members 1 and 13 and permits the member 13 to be moved clear of the hook 2 to enable the mounting of the member 1 on the belt. After the member 1 has been positioned on the belt the member 13 is shifted upwardly so that the hook 15 will extend into bifurcated portion 3 of the member 1, then the lever 10 is swung to the position shown in Figure 1 which detachably couples the members 1 and 13 together. I

In Figure 4, is shown a detail new of a modification of the device, and shows a re silient hook member 24, riveted at its upper end to the back of and near the upper end of the supporting member 1, said resilient member being extended outwardly a short distance as at 25 and then downwardly and inwardly until it contacts with the member 1, at 26.

It is intended that this form he used by men who do not wear belts, in which case the hook may be slipped down over the edge of the trousers and will be held securely in position by the strong spring action of the same.

While the preferred construction of my invention is as shown in the drawings, still it is to be understood that slight changes may be made in the same without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A key-ring holder of the class described comprising a main supporting member of substantially S-Shaped contour, having an upper, an apertured intermediate and a lower portion, the upper end of which is curved over to form a depending bifurcated member, said lower portion merging into said intermediate portion and terminating in a rearwardly extending hook, a locking means having an upper, a constricted intermediate, and a lower portion, the upper portion of said locking means having its upper end reduced and curved over to form a depending tongue adapted to be positioned be! tween the furcations of the bifurcated memher, the lower end of said tongue being turned outwardly at right angles thereto and having laterally extendin g ears adapted to bear against the outer face of said furcations, said constricted intermediate portion passing through the aperture in the intermediate portion of the supporting member, the lower portion of said means provided intermediate its ends with an offset and terminating in a forwardly extending hook member constituting a seat forthe hook of the supporting member.

Q. A key-ring holder of the class described comprising a main supporting member substantially iB-shaped in contour, having a vertical upper portion, a downwardly and outwardly extending apertured intermediate portion, and a lower vertical portion, the upper and lower portions being parallel and merging into the opposite sides of the said intermediate portion, the upper end of the upper portion being bent over to form a downwardly extending bifurcated member, each of the forks ofsaid bifurcated member having laterally extending ears, a latch member pivotallv connected to one of said lateral ears and carrying means for engagement with an aperture in the other of said lateral ears, the lower portion of said supporting member terminating in a rearwardly extending hook, a locking means having an upper, a constricted intermediate and a lower portion, the said constricted intermediate portion being adapted for limited vertical movement through tneiapertured intermediate portion of the main supporting member, a spiral spring surrounding the said constrictd portion, one end of said spring bearing against the upper surface of the apertured portion through which the constricted por-V tion passes and the other end of said spring bearing against the under surface of the upper portion where it merges with the said constrictetd portion.

3. A key-ring holder of the class described comprising a supporting member substantially S-shaped in contour, the upper end of said supporting member being bent over to form a downwardly extending bifurcated member, each of the forks of said bifurcated member having laterally extending ears, a latch member pivotally connected at one of its ends to one of said lateral ears and carrying at its other end an integral lug for engagement with an aperture in the oppositely positioned lateral ear, a locking means having an upper, a constricted intermediatet and a lower portion, the upper portion of said locking means being reduced, curved over and downwardly to form a depending tongue adapted for vertical movement between the furcations of the bifurcated memher and having its lower end turned out IOES magma wardly at right angles thereto, said right angled portion being wider than the tongue thus forming ears adapted to bear against the outer surface of the said furcations to retain the said tongue in the desired position.

4. A key-ring holder of the class described comprising a supporting member substantially-S-shaped in contour, the upper end of said supporting member being bent over and bifurcated, a resilient clamping member opposing and attaching to the back of said supporting member adjacent its upper end, said clamping member, slightly below the attaching point, being bent outwardly and downwardly and curving gradually back until it contacts with the main supporting member intermediate its ends, and a spring controlled locking member extending through said supporting member intermediate the ends of the latter and having means to provide a support for the lower end of the supporting member and further having its upper end extending through and overlapping the bifurcated upper end of the supporting member.

5. A key-ring holder of the class described comprising a supporting member substantially S-shaped in contour, the upper end of said supporting member being bent over and bifurcated, and a spring controlled locking member extending through said supporting member intermediate the ends of th latter and having means to provide a support for the lower end of the supporting member and further having its upper end extending' through and overlapping the bifurcated upper end of the supporting member.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature hereto.

FRANCIS A. LASSERRE 

